Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
336. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the plans the Government has to support a proposal by a body (details supplied) to establish a global greenhouse gas watch; the engagement between Met Éireann and the body on the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23941/23]
View answerMet Éireann strongly supports the WMO-coordinated Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Watch initiative (GGMW) to establish an operational infrastructure for monitoring greenhouse gases. As the State’s National Meteorological Service, Met Éireann will represent Ireland at the upcoming 19th UN World Meteorological Organization Congress (Cg-19) at which the initiative will be presented for endorsement. Met Éireann is an active participant on the WMO’s Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems and attended the meeting in October 2022, at which this initiative was considered and approved for recommendation to the Cg-19 Congress.
The intention of this initiative is to build on, and enhance, the heritage of long-standing WMO programmes including World Weather Watch, the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) and the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS). Ireland already supports these programmes through, inter alia, Met Éireann’s regional GAW station at Valentia Observatory and University of Galway’s global GAW station at Mace Head. Met Éireann operates one of Ireland’s 10 international (Integrated Carbon Observation System) ICOS stations. All these activities are part of Ireland’s contribution to the existing international Greenhouse Gas Monitoring effort.
In Europe, the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) is identified as one of the potential global centres constituting the backbone of the operational modelling infrastructure for the Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Watch via its Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service activities. This would represent a significant step forward in the development of global modelling capability to help understand greenhouse gas emissions and removals in support of the Paris Agreement. Met Éireann has and continues to play an active role in ECMWF advisory and governing committees which are currently addressing ECMWF’s proposed contribution to the GGMW if it is endorsed at the upcoming WMO Cg-19 Congress.
Subject to approval of the WMO Cg19 Congress, Met Éireann through its national leadership roles at WMO and ECMWF plans to continue its support of the initiative to establish a global greenhouse gas watch.
